Water Gallery Diorama gets prepped!

There will be much more to the water gallery than the specimens; another component to the exhibit will be the Hydro-Thermal Vent Diorama.  Hydro-Thermal Vents are found deep down in the depths of the ocean, and the new water gallery diorama will teach us all about them! It will be in a section of the exhibit about Ocean Living that will also include information about the vastness of the ocean and the tides, among many other topics. This diorama might look familiar to those of you who visited the museum long before the construction started, and remember the old mineral gallery. Originally it was on display in the mineral gallery as an example of how the mineral food chain worked, but now it is being modified to fit into the new water gallery. Because it will now serve as an example of a Hydro-Thermal vent found off the coast of British Columbia, some of the rocks as well as flora and fauna need to be changed to represent the location accurately. 

Hydro-Thermal Vent Diorama

The diorama itself was constructed with museum display requirements in mind.  In order for it to be easily transported into the museum, the diorama is built in two parts and all the materials used are lightweight.  The rocks are made out of foam and then painted, and the rest is constructed out of sand, concrete and moldable plastics.  The diorama is also built on casters so that it can be moved around for cleaning purposes.  Brian Clemence is the original artist of the diorama, and he is also currently working with the museum to make the appropriate changes.  He has his own sculpture studio in the Ottawa area, and you can see some more of his work in the snow sculptures on display at Winterlude!